Popovich overrules Ginobili

Spurs guard Manu Ginobili arrived Sunday morning at the AT&T Center and went about preparing to play in Game 1 of his team’s first-round playoff series against the Grizzlies.

He put on his warmup shorts and shirt and laced up his shoes, ready to hit the court and take some shots.

He issued a brief report on his sprained right elbow.

“I still can’t bend it all the way,” he said, “but it’s getting better.”

Moments later, he was summoned to coach Gregg Popovich’s office, where he got the news: He would not be allowed to suit up.

Did Ginobili try to convince Popovich to change his mind?

“You know damned well he did,” Popovich said before tip-off. “And you know damned well he’s not happy with me. And you know damned well that he wants to be on the court.

“But I made my decision.”

Popovich said Ginobili will be doubtful for Wednesday’s Game 2 “until it changes. What’s next, probable?

“Let’s hope he changes from doubtful to questionable if it’s not probable.”

Room to board: After being outrebounded by the Grizzlies in all four regular-season games this season, the Spurs had a 40-38 advantage on the boards in Sunday’s game.

More amazing: They grabbed 11 offensive rebounds, compared to five for the Grizzlies. They outscored them in second-chance points 15-5.

Shouldn’t that have been a formula for a Spurs victory?

“It should be, but it wasn’t,” Spurs captain Tim Duncan said. “We didn’t do enough down the stretch, and that was the game right there.

“We stuck to our game plan and did a good job keeping them off the offensive glass, but they made more plays than we did down the stretch.”

Backup big man Matt Bonner stressed the importance of continued emphasis on rebounding.

“If we do that again, we’ll put ourselves in a good position to win,” he said. “If we can keep doing that on the glass as the series moves on, we’re going to have a great shot to win the series.”

Lining ’em up: The Spurs took 47 free throws Sunday, more than they had attempted in a playoff game since Game 1 of the 2003 Western Conference finals against the Mavericks. Then, the Spurs took 48.

As they did Sunday, they lost that game. The Mavericks made 49 of 50 free throws in that one.

Sigh of relief: When the Grizzlies missed four consecutive crunch-time free throws in the fourth quarter, the Spurs followed with back-to-back 3-pointers by Matt Bonner, and Memphis forward Shane Battier feared the worst.

“You were going, ‘Uh-oh. Here we go again.’

“How many times have the Spurs done that in big games in this facility? It wasn’t a shock. As soon as the ball left Bonner’s hands, it’s good. And then the second one, it’s good. It’s just the way they play here.

“But I am really proud of the way our team responded. I don’t think we were too rattled. We came back and scored after one of those threes, and that’s encouraging.”